Broward County Crackdown on Aggressive Drivers!

If you don’t do it to avoid a costly citation, then do it to save your life.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), law enforcement officers throughout the state of Florida will be participating in the “Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks” safety campaign. During this time, officers will be on the hunt for car drivers and truck drivers who display aggressive driving behaviors. According to the latest statistics, more than 85 percent of accidents that involve these vehicles are caused by driver error.

“Safety on Florida’s roadways is a cooperative effort by cars and trucks alike. Community education is a unique approach that we believe will promote responsible driving for everyone.” said the CEO and President of the Florida Trucking Association, Mary Lou Rajchel.

Our Broward accident lawyers understand that there were close to 4,000 people who were killed in these kinds of accidents in the U.S. in 2010. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were another 300,000 people injured in these incidents. The state of Florida was one of the most dangerous for trucking accidents, too! In the Sunshine State, there were close to 200 large trucks involved in fatal accidents in 2010. The truth of the matter is that many of these accidents could have been prevented.

Law enforcement officers will be on the lookout for drivers who are tailgating other vehicles, who are making unsafe lane changes, who are speeding and who are displaying any other kind of aggressive driving tendencies.

In addition to the increased enforcement, officers have also arranged for billboards to be displayed on roadsides across the state. These billboards will be alerting drivers about the heightened risks for these kinds of accidents along with their heightened risks for being cited for dangerous and aggressive driving behaviors.

Officials with the DHSMV are asking drivers to be courteous out there. We all need to keep an eye on one another — that includes pedestrians, bicyclists, trucks and cars.

Safety Tips for Cars around Trucks:

-Avoid Cutting in. You don’t want to cut off another vehicle, especially a large truck. Trucks can’t stop as easily as our vehicles can and are more likely to run into the back of you. Same thing applies when following too closely.

-Avoid lingering around commercial vehicles. Don’t travel too closely to them and avoid driving in their blind spots.

-Avoid drinking and driving and always wear your seat belt. These two moves can help to keep you safe and alert on our roadways.

-Give trucks plenty of room when making turns. Truck drivers sometimes need to swing wide to the left in order to safely negotiate a right turn especially in urban areas. They can’t see cars directly behind or beside them, so give them plenty of room to maneuver.